Judy E. Buss

A funny thing happens at this time of the year: we look forward to the holidays with great anticipation, dreaming of scrumptious food, beautifully decorated homes, vacation time, and festive gatherings with family and friends. Then, as the holidays roll around, the same-ol’-same-ol’ reality sets in. Dreading all the extra work, shopping, decorating and cooking deadlines while also maintaining our daily work routine and chores, a thought begins to sprout between our ears: “Can’t wait ‘till it’s over so I can have my life back.”

This holiday season be kinder and gentler to yourself so you can actually enjoy the winter festivities. Don’t be pressured by anyone, including picture-perfect TV and magazine images, to attend or host more events than you can comfortably accommodate in your schedule. Create calendar pages for November and December and enter on them to-dos and events.

Keep your holiday cooking and baking simple. TV celebrity chefs have invisible elves doing prep work and cleanup for them. Most likely, you are not blessed with such miraculous help. Early on put all the holiday baking and cooking recipes you plan to use in a file folder together with the two calendar pages you prepared.

Two weeks before an event, set aside a weekend day to bake and freeze a wholesome (not a fatty-sugary) sheet cake, and/or cupcakes all in the same baking session. You’ll have to clean a messy kitchen only once, not twice. Placing baking liners in each cup makes cleaning the muffin baking tins a piece of cake… Portion, wrap, and freeze each serving. At a later date, thaw, heat, and serve as needed.

Two or three days before a festive dinner, make some of the recipes or parts of them in advance, such as Chili, salad dressing, stew, or cranberry sauce. Wash salad and cooking veggies, scrub potatoes clean for baking etc. Dry and refrigerate these ready-to-use vegetables in sealed plastic bags. Roasting nuts for various recipes can also be done ahead of your dinner date. Consciously challenge yourself this season to find and enjoy new ways to cut down on stress. Lastly, be sure to plan and enter breaks into your holiday calendar allowing you to sneak away and chill out – happy holidays!

TURKEY OR CHICKEN CHILI

4 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 pound ground turkey or chicken
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1-1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
½ teaspoon powdered cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 large tomato, chopped
½ green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
2 cups cooked pinto beans, drained

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Stir in the onion, cover, and cook about 12 minutes, until the onion is translucent, stirring once or twice more.

2. Mix in all the other ingredients except the beans and increase the heat to medium. When the chili begins to bubble, reduce the heat and cook 15 – 20 minutes, breaking up the meat lumps, and stirring occasionally.

3. Add the beans and cook 3 minutes to heat through. If too dry add ¼ – ½ cup water and adjust the seasoning.

FRUIT AND NUT PINWHEELS

These pinwheels are so tasty (and pretty); they can take the place of pastry and save you tons of time baking a cake. Tortillas and wraps come in different sizes, so choose the largest whole grain ones you can find. When you spot 12-inch ones in the store, buy an extra package or two and keep in your freezer. They are also handy for making other types of pinwheels as well as wrap sandwiches.

Yield: 22 pinwheels

1 (8-ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, room temperature
2 (12-inch) whole grain, or multi grain tortillas or wraps (or similar size)
1 cup finely chopped dried sweetened cranberries,
¾ cup finely chopped dried apricots
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest

1. Mix the cranberries, apricots, and nuts in a medium bowl. In a second medium bowl, thoroughly mix the cream cheese with the cinnamon and orange zest.
2. Place the wraps on 2 separate sheets of parchment paper or wax paper. The paper should measure 1 inch larger than the wraps on all sides. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly all over one side of each wrap.

3. Evenly sprinkle the cranberry mixture over the cheese. Carefully roll the wraps tightly in one direction. Do not roll too tightly, or the wraps might tear.

4. Roll each wrap in the parchment paper and twist the paper ends. Insert the rolls into a plastic bag and tie to seal. Refrigerate for 2 – 4 hours before serving.

5. Before serving remove the roll wrappings. Trim the filled rolls’ ends with a serrated knife, and cut the rolls into ¾-inch thick slices. Arrange on a serving plate, flat-side-down.

NOTE: If you are using tortillas or wraps that are smaller than 12 inches in diameter, then you’ll need more of them to get the yield stated above.

“Mission Nutrition” Tips and Recipes from Judy E. Buss, Syndicated Eating-for-Health Columnist

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